“My natural instinct as a father is to protect my child,” Marlon Wayans said recently on the We In Miami podcast.

Wayans has been unusually candid about his family and how his feelings evolved after his oldest child Kai’s transition, a change he said moved him from denial to fierce, public acceptance. "People can judge and say what they want, but at the end of the day, that's my child," the comedian said in the clip below. "And I'm gonna love my baby regardless of what anybody says, and they should be allowed to have their anonymity and enjoy their life exactly the way they want to enjoy it."

He first confirmed Kai’s transition in media interviews in 2023 and has since described his own process in frank terms across podcasts and TV appearances. He told “Good Morning America” he “went from ignorance and denial to complete unconditional love and acceptance,” and stressed that his priority is his child’s freedom and happiness. “I just want my kids to be free,” he said.

"You can’t beat gay out of someone. You can’t hypnotize someone to not be transgender. You gotta accept and love them," he continued on the podcast.

Wayans has never shied away from uncomfortable honesty about his early reaction to Kai’s transition. He has previously admitted to being ashamed about his attempts to stop Kai’s transition, including a widely reported account that he once tried hypnosis — a revelation he later characterized as part of a painful learning curve.

Wayans has also used his platform to push back against hostility toward transgender people. He has challenged critics and called for parental love over condemnation — at times calling out public figures whose responses to family transitions he views as harmful. His peers have applauded the stance. Athlete Dwyane Wade publicly praised Wayans for his “unconditional love” and willingness to speak on the topic. In the “We in Miami” podcast, Wayans called Wade and his wife, actress Gabrielle Union, "heroes" and "examples" to those with transgender children.

Wayans has summarized the change in his mindset as both moral and practical. He said accepting Kai taught him “what real, unconditional love was,” and that protecting his child is nonnegotiable.